Please forgive this open letter but your comments towards BP and its CEO as reported here are coming across as somewhat prejudicial and personal.
There is no doubt that BP, as a UK PLC, is totally committed to do everything possible to contain the oil leak and meet all its obligations in the USA.

The existing CEO is the best person to deliver that effort and has made that personal commitment and made himself available in the USA.
In your words, "he has taken the heat" and not hidden in his office. The real response has been total. You could argue a poor PR performance, but BP are not alone in that.
There is a sense here that these attacks are being made because BP is British.

If you compare the damage inflicted on the economies of the western world by polluted securities from the irresponsible, unchecked greed and avarice of leading USA international banks, there has not been the same personalised response in or from countries beyond the US.

Perhaps a case of double standards? Deep sea oil exploration was pushed forward as part of a USA oil security strategy as have a number of foreign policy initiatives in key areas in the world where we are standing shoulder to shoulder.
Whilst we all recognise the seriousness of the situation there is a need to put some balance back into the situation.

Many of us applauded your promise of a new approach to politics, USA foreign policy and world leadership.
Both you and the CEO of BP are caught up in the resolution of issues dealing with the emerging risks of strategies that you did not necessarily determine.

The immediate issues are very challenging but are best solved working together in a more Statesman like way.

The leak may take time to fix, and it will be, but Afghanistan and Iraq will take much longer.

We can all agree that the first and absolute priority is to stem the leak. Perhaps the second one is to ensure the reputation of the Presidency outside the USA is seen as objective, balanced, able and capable of taking the heat when under pressure.
We liked the Obama we saw at your election, can we have more of it please.

Yours sincerely,

John Napier

:: Mr Napier is chairman of insurance group RSA.

This is the letter sent by one of Britain's top business figures to US President Barack Obama in protest against his criticism of BP and its CEO over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.